They have become a symbol of Britain’s self-determination and new found identity as we prepare to leave the clutches of the EU.

But reports that the new true blue passports will be made by a Dutch firm has provoked the ire of Brexiteers.

According to The Sun, global security firm Gemalto, which has its HQ in Amsterdam and is listed on the French and Dutch stock exchanges, has won the £490m contract to produce the iconic identity document for Brits.

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It would mean the end of the existing 'burgandy' EU passports which been in place since 1988.

There was no reason Britain had to have the same colour passports as the rest of the EU, but even so, Prime Minister Theresa May hailed the decision to return to the blue passports as a proud statement of reclaimed British sovereignty.

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Is this a national humiliation?

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Sacked Cabinet minister Priti Patel told The Sun: "This should be a moment that we should be celebrating - the return of our iconic blue passport will re-establish the British identity.

“It is a national humiliation.

“I would urge Amber Rudd [The Home Secretary] and the Government to look again at the powers they have to see what they can do.”

The current British/EU passports

A Home Office spokeswoman said: "We are running a fair and open competition to ensure that the new contract delivers a high quality and secure product and offers the best value for money for customers.

"All passports will continue to be personalised with the holder’s details in the United Kingdom, meaning that no personal data will leave the UK.

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“We do not require passports to be manufactured in the UK. A proportion of blank passport books are currently manufactured overseas, and there are no security or operational reasons why this would not continue.”

The final decision has not been officially made and the process has been done under existing EU laws based on a 'blind tender' process.

But what do YOU think? Were you looking forward to ditching those small, pesky burgundy EU passports? Or are you more concerned about possible lots of rights associated with leaving the bloc, such as right to travel, live and work across 27 countries?